No time to Stand Down

By CHANSE WATSON

Managing Editor

WALLACE — It was all planned out, Wallace Elks Veteran’s Committee Chairman Sharon Howard explained, Wallace was set to host its very own Veterans Stand Down event at the end of March.

Then the pandemic hit.

Months of preparation by the Veteran’s Committee needed to be completely reworked after Howard had no choice but to cancel the event two weeks before it was supposed to be held.

The term “Stand Down” originally referred to a time and place in a war zone where combat units could rest and recover.

Roughly a decade ago, the term was repurposed to include an event held here at home that provided homeless veterans with a broad range of necessities such as clothing, food and basic health services.

Since its beginning, Stand Downs have become major events that offer a wide range of items and services to all veterans in need.

The canceled Wallace event would have been ready to offer veterans clothing, meals, hygiene items, employment opportunities and help with VA/disability benefits.

“It evolved over time as an opportunity to get the word out to veterans about their benefits,” Howard said, “so they could sign up for disability or VA benefits and have access to a variety of different resources.”

The Veteran’s Committee had collected seven pallets of military gear that included sleeping bags, jackets, boots, hats, gloves and socks. With no event and a pandemic going on, Howard and the Veteran’s Committee had to get creative if they wanted something to still occur.

“What we did was because we had to cancel the Stand Down, we had all this stuff and wanted to make sure it still got to the veterans who needed it,” Howard said.

After some consideration, it was decided that if the veterans couldn’t come to the event, the event (or at least, the resources from the event) would be brought to them.

Starting on March 30, Howard and the rest of the Veteran’s Committee began giving out grab-bags to veterans that included items such as a sleeping bag, a hat, a T-shirt, a pair of boots, a toiletry kit, and more. Of course, volunteers have made sure to abide by the proper pandemic guidelines, such as using proper PPE and keeping their distance as best they can, while handing the bags out.

Howard estimates that they have given away around 80 of these bags in a week’s time.

In addition to the bags, the Veteran’s Committee took the $13,500 they were going to use at the Stand Down and used it to buy meals and groceries for the veterans.

$11,000 of the funds have been allocated to providing pre-paid meals at certain Silver Valley restaurants that are still open in some capacity.

If a veteran stops by the Bedroom Goldmine, Mom’s Vintage Eatery, the Blackboard Cafe, Cogs, City Limits or the Brooks Restaurant, they can receive a meal that has been already paid for — tip and tax included.

“If a veteran would like to have a meal a day, they could go to one of the restaurants that are participating,” Howard said.

With the remaining $2,500, the Veteran’s Committee purchased $20 vouchers to Harvest Foods in Wallace. These vouchers have been mailed out to veterans in need or given out along with the grab-bags.

While it wasn’t the original plan, Howard is happy that they could still help veterans in need (especially during these hard times).

For more information, contact Howard by email at SHARONHOWA@msn.com.